Chapter 453

Dungeon of Precious Stones Again

With the obtained permit, we left the inn the next day to go to the Dungeon of Precious Stones.

However, for some reason, Dill-san was waiting at the entrance of the inn.

“Why are you here, Dill-san?”

“I was asked by the Guild Master.”

“By Chris-san? What were you asked to do?”

It seems like Dill-san was asked to do something by Chris-san, but it doesn’t seem connected to him being here.

“Since you guys have the permit now, he wants us to dive into the dungeon together.”

“”Together? All of us?””

“If everyone is okay with it.”

“”Yeah, okay~””

It seems they were going to the dungeon together.

“Well, it’s fine if you go with us. But why would the Guild Master personally ask for that?”

“There are more people diving into the Dungeon of Precious Stones than you think. Moreover, in the lower levels, there are many shady characters aiming for a quick fortune. If your groups go, you will definitely get involved with such people.”

“… I see.”

Well, children attract attention. And with shady adventurers, it’s a certainty that they will approach us.

…Based on my past experiences, that is.

“So, Dill-san, are you like a watchdog or a mediator?”

“To be honest, I’m not strong enough to restrain those shady folks. But well, I can honestly report any incidents to the Guild Master without lies. So, if you guys get into a confrontation, and the other party concocts lies and causes a commotion by reporting to the Guild, it will make it easier to grasp the truth.”

“I see~”

It sounds quite plausible, and I couldn’t help but agree.

Adventurers that we get into conflicts with might return to town before us and make a fuss like, “They violently attacked us!”

“If someone comes at us, we can retaliate without mercy.”

“No, Kaiser, that’s a bit different. Please, show mercy, at least.”

If Kaiser uses his strength without mercy, the opponent might end up dead.

“Is that not allowed?”

“It’s not allowed. In principle, ignore them. If they come at you, it can’t be helped, so you can give them a little taste of pain. But you shouldn’t cause serious injuries or knock them out. We don’t know when monsters might appear, and if we cause serious injuries or unconsciousness, we’ll have to take care of the trouble afterward.”

Leaving someone unable to move or unconscious and moving on is not something my conscience can accept.

“If it’s in town, we could leave them unconscious and move on, but not in the dungeon. Allen and Elena, understand?”

“”Got it~””

It’s good that we clarified things before any issues arose.

“So, what’s the deal? Oh, but even though this accompaniment is for our sake, you and Chris-san don’t really benefit from going out of their way like this, right?”

“Allowing Takumi’s group to challenge the dungeon without any issues is already advantageous for the Adventurers’ Guild. Because there’s a hidden agenda; when the trees on the first floor change, there might be a chance to obtain branches of different gemstones. Furthermore, they are hoping for the possibility of obtaining extraordinary items in the higher levels. As for me, I don’t have a problem since I will receive a commission from the Guild.”

“Wow~…”

It was a considerate act with a hidden agenda. Well, it’s easy to get along with, and I’m inclined to accept their kindness.

“Is it that serious of a matter that you had to be paid a commission?”

“If I go into the dungeon with you and find myself in a situation where I also get loot, there won’t be any commission. It’s just like when I go into the dungeon alone, defeating monsters and mining. However, if there’s trouble to deal with, preventing me from carrying out normal activities, the Guild will compensate me at least to some extent.”

“It seems like the Guild won’t incur losses.”

There’s no way Dill-san would be excluded from the dropped items when he’s with us. The children will probably be mining too, so Dill-san can join in. Therefore, the Guild won’t be paying him a commission.

“Our actions are probably not ordinary, are you okay with that, Dill-san?”

… Mainly in terms of mental stress, you know.

“… So, you say you are not ordinary yourself.”

“I’d like to stay ordinary, but it seems I can’t.”

“… Ah, yeah, I see. Well, I might let out some annoying and surprised reactions or comments, but if possible, I’d like to go with you.”

“Understood. Then, let’s go together.”

“”Yay~””

And so, Dill-san decided to accompany us in conquering the dungeon.

“Well, the first floor should progress smoothly.”

“”Yeah~””

“Umu.”

Having paid the entrance fee at the reception, we made our way into the Dungeon of Precious Stones for the third time.

“”Hehh~””

“””Ohh~”””

The moment we entered, Dill-san and I let out surprised sounds, while the children and Kaiser expressed admiration.

“I can’t believe it. How lucky can we be!”

Surprisingly, the first floor had turned into a forest of blue sapphires.

Those who use this as a base might not find it unusual, but it seems that visitors from elsewhere rarely get to see multiple forests during their stay. Seeing two is considered rare. Since this is our third type, we’re quite lucky.

“Luck, huh~ That might be it.”

Perhaps the luck of the children is at play here.

“Alright, let’s pick some!”

“Kaiser, wait! If you’re going to pick, do it deeper inside! I won’t stop you, so please do it there. We’re attracting attention here!”

Kaiser immediately tried to break a branch, so I hurriedly stopped him. There were other adventurers and tourists besides us here.

“Oops, my bad, my bad.”

“Be really careful, okay~”

We had planned to swiftly progress today and reach the second floor, but it seems this dungeon is determined to disrupt our plans.

“Well then, let’s head deeper. But there’s no need to stray too far, just go in the direction of the staircase where there are no people.”

“”Then, that way~””

At my signal, Allen and Elena walked off as if to say, “Alright, leave it to us,” and proceeded further into the Sapphire forest.

“”About here~?””

Once they reached a spot without onlookers, they excitedly took out pickaxes from their bags.

“Yeah, around here should be fine.”

“”Yay~ Kaiser, where is good?””

“Umu, let’s see~ How about here and there, and maybe over there?”

Kaiser pointed out collection points to Allen and Elena, and the children enthusiastically swung their pickaxes.

“Takumi, Takumi, how many do we need to sell?”

Kaiser, in his own way, began snapping thinner branches with his bare hands.

“We don’t need that many. Actually, you already picked enough!”

In no time, Kaiser’s one arm was filled with branches.

“Is that enough? Shouldn’t we get a bit more? Oh, maybe you’d like some thicker ones too?”

Kaiser spun his arm and, with a wind-up, thrust his fist into a thicker branch. Then, with a loud bang, the branch broke off, just like when he first headbutted one.

“Allen got some~”

“Elena picked some, too~”

It seemed the children had successfully collected branches.

“… Hahaha~”

Watching the three, Dill-san let out a dry laugh.

“You guys are really something.”

“Oh no, I haven’t picked any.”

“Just because you haven’t doesn’t mean you can’t!”

“Huh, really?”

Not aiming for the thin end of the branch but rather grabbing a branch Kaiser had broken, I tried putting some strength into it.

“Maybe it’s impossible? No, wait a moment…”

With a casual movement like Kaiser’s, it didn’t break. So, I readjusted my grip on the branch I held with one hand, straightened it with both hands, and put more force into it, letting my body weight hang from it.

“Ah!”

“Uwah!”

The branch broke splendidly. Well, it was a close call, though.

“It broke~”

“As I thought! So, Takumi, you’re also part of the crazy crew.”

“Hahaha~”

I had thought that repeatedly hitting with tools like the children would eventually make it break, but I didn’t expect it to break with my bare hands.

I realized again that my body was sturdy, and my strength was beyond ordinary.

“Well~ maybe there’s a trick to it.”

“There’s no way!”

“No, no, you can’t be sure.—Kaiser, do you know a place where even Dill-san could pick a branch? Not the whole branch, but maybe a tip or something.”

“Mm? Let me see~ How about here? If you had something like a hammer for the end, you could try hitting it.”

“Come on, Dill-san! Do you have a hammer?”

“I do, but… no, that’s impossible.”

“Give it a try. Pretend you’re trying to crush the tip of the branch.”

“… I really think it’s impossible.”

Dill-san took out something like a carpenter’s hammer from his bag and vigorously pounded the tip of the branch.

“””””Ahh!”””””

With another impact, the tip of the branch broke off and flew away.

“”Will go look for it~””

Allen and Elena hurriedly went to search for the broken tip.

Dill-san, seemingly shocked, stood there with his mouth wide open in amazement.